Author: Eric Frank, Dean of the College
Do you want to have a lasting impact on Occidental? Would you like to help ensure that that Occidental’s curriculum and how its allocates its resources are consistent with its mission?
This Thursday, March 4, is your opportunity to take a step back from the day-to-day at Oxy and focus on the bigger picture by meeting with the reaccreditation team from the Western Association of Schools and Colleges. WASC, as the association is more familiarly known, is one of six regional associations that accredit public and private schools, colleges, and universities in the United States by evaluating the quality and effectiveness of those institutions. Carried out on a regular basis, accreditation is the process that helps Oxy assess its own strengths and identify areas that need further development, and assures the educational community and the general public that we have met the highest standards for higher education.
As part of that process, a team of experts from Mills, Smith, Harvey Mudd, Berkeley, Cal State Stanislaus and the Carnegie Foundation will be on campus this week to talk to students, faculty and staff to solicit input on our current capacity to carry out our mission and meet our institutional goals. Their visit is the second stage of a three-stage process designed to help us engage in a comprehensive assessment of our work and how we might be able to clarify out priorities, strengthen our identity, and help Occidental reach its full potential.
Having served on the WASC reaccreditation team that visited Pomona College last year, I have a good idea of what you can expect: an informal conversation in which team members ask you about your experience at Occidental, what avenues exist for students to offer their input, and the role students play in planning efforts at the College. To ensure that the reaccreditation review is truly comprehensive, we and the WASC site team need student participation. If you’re not in class, I would like to urge you to attend the student session with the WASC team in Lower Herrick this Thursday, March 4, from 10 to 10:45 a.m. By doing so, you will be making a lasting contribution to the College.
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